A Change of Pace
by CasDawriter-Animedragon7
Summary: Edward Elric has had his fair share of tragedy, and he wants out. Gray thought he could handle Natsu's harassment for his life, but disaster turns when one wrong thing is said. How will these two live when fate has a cruel way of dealing with things?
1. Chapter 1

The Elric brothers sat parallel from each other, the train moving underneath them. Alphonse stared awkwardly ahead, armor clinking with every movement. Edward slumped down in his seat, looking contemptuously out the window, watching the scenery go by in a flash. They sat in solitude, having their own private car due to military privileges.

The job they had just finished had been one where not getting their hands dirty wasn't an option. A rouge, ex-military officer had been terrorizing a nearby town and its residents, so the military had been called to take him in. The FullMetal Alchemist was requested by the Fuhrer and it was said to be an easy, in and out assignment. When they (Edward and Alphonse Elric) encountered their target, fate had been cruel, the man had the opportunity to take a hostage. In the end, the confrontation ended with the hostage (a 28 year old single mother who had been passing by with her newborn child, heading home for the day) getting hit with a stray bullet from the man's gun, and their target getting beaten half to death by the enraged Edward. After this, right when the brothers had been in the train station on their way home, they got news from an officer in the area that the woman had passed away the night following the incident, the child orphaned. After hearing this, they embarked.

"I'm done…" the blond muttered quietly, causing his brother's head to turn toward him.

"What are you talking about brother?"

The FullMetal Alchemist turned, glaring straight ahead, "I said I'm done, Alphonse." He sat up straight, leaning closer to his brother. "I'm through with this military, this messed-up thing called justice, and this damned title; I'm so sick of it all! How many lives will we have to ruin to achieve our goal?" he slouched once more, his gaze facing down.

"What are you saying?" Alphonse stood, clanging violently. "How can you say that after all we've gone through?"

"I can't handle it anymore. I just…I just…the pain and sadness…it's too much…" he puts his forehead against his hands, breathing deeply. "Someone died, Alphonse! An innocent bystander, and for what? Because of my stupidity!" The blond went quiet, not looking up. "Why did this have to happen to us?"

"It's the consequences that we got for breaking the taboo. And we have to deal with it in any way that we can. Keep moving forward Edward. Isn't that what you said when you got your state certification? Are you willing to give that all up now?"

The elder brother sat there in silence, hands over his eyes, gritting his teeth. His answer came in no louder than a whisper, "Yes." He rubbed his palms on his eyes, then pulled them away, turning his face away from his brother. His hand hung limp to his side, his glove damp. Edward put his legs onto the seat, not caring how childish it seemed, and pulled them close to him, resting his head against his knees. He then spoke quietly, "I'm telling Mustang when we get to central, Alphonse. And I'm not going back after this. Never."

Alphonse rose from the seat loudly, and without a word, exited the car, leaving his elder brother to wallow in self-pity.

It was midday in the town Magnolia, and the Fairy Tail guild was as lively as ever. Members sat around the main hall, enthusiastically speaking about their recent jobs. Two of the members of the strongest team (Lucy and Erza) sat at the bar beside Mirajane, who stood behind the counter preparing ordered dishes. The blonde spoke frantically on how she wouldn't be able to pay this month's rent while the woman in armor peacefully ate her strawberry cheesecake. It was a nice environment until the terrible two walked through the doors.

"Will you stop complaining about your job already!? I don't care if you destroyed half the town, it's your stupid fault, my moron flame brain!" Gray yelled before they even got through the doors.

"Shut up, you unwanted stripper!" Came from Natsu in an even louder voice.

"Oh, what are you going to do? Melt me with your puny flames? Freakin' Pyromaniac!"

Everyone grew silent as the two wore on, their normal verbal abuse taking a turn for the worse.

"At least my flames are genuine, not some half-assed maker magic that didn't do any good when it really needed to!"

Gray's face changed from frustration to utter shock. Lucy and Erza's face matched his. The ice wizard's face began to morph into an expression of rage, the floor beneath him freezing, slowly spreading across the guild. "How dare you insult my teacher?!" The words came out in a booming voice, echoing through the building and leaving silence. Frosty waves started to come off the male, his hair spiking from the magic aura surrounding him.

Natsu's demeanor vanished, fear slowly sneaking it's way in. He knew he had lost his temper, but the words from before just came out before he could think. Now this happened; He looked to the master in desperation, his eyes showing the regret at seriousness of the situation. Makarov nodded solemnly.

"Gray!" The elder man shouted over the magical fuzz. The mage didn't even flinch at the authority. "You need to stop this tantrum at once, before you hurt yourself as well as other people in the guild!" Gray seemed to pay no heed. His aura widened, and the magic finally seemed to reach Natsu, who was still fairly close to the black-haired fairy. His breath came in painfully seeming puffs, his hands going to his arms, a shiver going through him.

"G-g-gray," he said in a quiet tone. His fingers had a blue tinge to them. "You n-n-need t-to stop…" The cold was obviously starting to seep his strength.

In the back of Gray's mind, a panic started to rise. _What is going on? I don't, I don't understand. I can't control myself, my body…_

The other guild members watched in astonishment as the Dragon Slayer surrendered to the cold, and toppled to the ground, unconscious, his body slowly freezing over. Gray's expression changed to a sight of horror, and the blizzard stopped abruptly, the wizard coming to his senses. Natsu immediately began to defrost, his skin gaining more color by the minute. In a daze, Ul's student could hear the master giving orders. Elfman looked at Gray for a moment, then picked up the fire wizard's limp body and carried him to the infirmary. Others were casually picking up chairs and debris that had blown over from the breeze, acting as if nothing had happened. The seventeen year old stood in his place inarticulately for a moment, then bolted out of the hall, overwhelming emotions taking control.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey everyone, here is chapter two! sorry that i haven't updated in a while, school has been killing me, but the semester just ended, so i'm able to write. I finished this chapter first because it was liked the most.**_

_**I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or Fairy Tail or any fandom mentioned or included.**_

Chapter 2

The FullMetal Alchemist stood in front of the Mustang's desk, a letter of resignation in his hand. The Flame Alchemist looking at him with seemingly cold eyes. Edward silently put it on his desk, not meeting the man's eyes. Roy didn't move, just rested his lips against his intertwining hands. Getting the signal, the blond took a seat at one of the two couches in his office. After a moment, the Coronel retrieved the letter and took a seat across from the boy.

_He's going to try to stop me. _Ed thought solemnly, trying his best to keep his cool composure. _I'm too big of an asset to let leave the military. I can't keep this up; I would rather die than have to hurt others with my alchemy! _

"I-," he was interrupted by Mustang's superior voice.

"I won't stop you," he said in a simple tone, closing his eyes tiredly. Before Edward could bombard him with useless questions, he continued. "I knew this would happen sooner or later, Edward. A fifteen year old can only take so much mental trauma, and I know you have had more than five adults will have in their lifetime.

"And though it may not seem this way, I do care about your well-being…as well as your happiness. I hope you and your brother can find another way to get your bodies back, without military help." The alchemist sat there silently, trying to comprehend what had just gone down.

He didn't know what to do, but unconsciously he whispered "Thank you," and a smirk appeared on The Coronel's face.

"Well at least I won't have to fill out any more paper work for your _puny _mistakes,"

Edward's smile turned to an outraged scowl. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT YOU CAN'T SEE THEM WITHOUT A MAGNIFYING GLASS!"

The Flame Alchemist let out a genuine laugh, Edward smiling as well. He suddenly stood, turning away from Mustang, walking toward his brother who had been standing in the corner the whole time. The blond put a hand to his eyes, wiping away the condensation from them. He didn't know why he had started crying, either from the relief off his shoulders, or the weight in his heart, but they wouldn't stop.

Mustang's face softened, a small smile still on his face. "You can come anytime FullMetal. I'll arrange it."

"Thanks, Coronel." The alchemist walked toward the door, leaving the room for the last time, when the military officer stopped him.

"Edward, I'm going to need your watch."

The older brother's hand went to his pocket, the metal device's weight barely noticeable. Unfastening it from his belt buckle, he turned, walking to toward the black haired man who now stood a couple yards away from him. Edward was a couple feet away when the lights dimmed ominously.

A black circle appeared below Edward, and his golden eyes widened at the feeling of déjà vu. Black hands came from the ground, desperately groping the air until the touched the alchemist.

Alphonse's armor clanked violently at his sudden movement. "Brother!" He tried to come closer, but there was some sort of invisible wall keeping him separated from his sibling.

"FullMetal!" Mustang yelled, as well trying to reach his subordinate. "What is this?"

Edward was slowly being pulled by the hands, his body slowly peeling away into little fragments. "It's the gate," he said into a strained voice. His gaze went from Mustang to his brother, who pounded on the barrier with full force. "Alphonse, I don't know what this is, but no matter what, I'll be back."

The younger Elric slowly stopped his violence, physically deflating. "Promise. Promise me you'll come back!"

"I will be back, I promise." His body was almost dissolved. He turned to Mustang once more. A smirk appeared on his face despite the situation. "I guess I'll be keeping my watch for a little while longer then."

The last thing he saw in his world was the bewilderment on Mustang's face.

The Ice Mage wouldn't stop. He kept running, with no destination in mind. He turned to an alley, leaning heavily against the cold, brick wall, breathing labored. He sunk to the ground, swatting, elbows on his thighs, head in his hands.

"I-I-I hurt, I hurt Natsu…" he stuttered uncontrollably, his body shaking violently. "My magic, my magic hurt someone."

A shadow slowly came over the wizard, someone tall stood silently beside him. Laxus stared down at Gray with a face empty of emotion.

"Laxus-," The master's grandson pulled the ice mage up by the arm, effortlessly dragging him out of the alleyway. He didn't resist at first, probably because he couldn't understand what was going on. Then realization hit, and he attempted to jerk him arm out of the lightning mage's iron grasp.

"Just stop before you hurt yourself," he grumbled, trudging along the quieter route of back alleys and side roads.

Gray trudged along beside him (or at least tried to, since he was still been somewhat dragged by the dragon slayer), looking at the ground contemptuously. _I can't believe I hurt Natsu. I actually hurt him, and what if he doesn't wake up now. It's all my fault and I can't do anything to change it. _He gritted his teeth, his inner agony reaching a breaking point. A sudden pain started in his arm.

Laxus looked at him with a grumpy expression; he had tightened his grip on the mage's forearm. "You need to stop blaming yourself for everything. Natsu is fine," the words came from the grandson's mouth, almost reading Gray's thoughts. "He was barely conscious when I left, and all he said was 'Is Gray okay'. He's worried about you, Gray. It wasn't just your fault, don't try to push the blame just on yourself. There are people that can help you know."

Gray deadpanned, then slowly loosened his tenseness at the happy news. Laxus let go of his appendage, letting him walk on his own, and he happily obliged. Yet, even under his façade, guilt still racked inside of him. _I don't know if I can handle this anymore. I don't even understand what happened in there, but it happened, and I heard someone that's close to me, even if I don't openly admit to him being my friend. I don't want to put him in danger if this can happen at any time._

The guild's flags came into view as they walked through the courtyard in front of the Fairy Tail building. The black haired man stopped short. Laxus looked back at him in curiosity. "He doesn't blame you and nobody else in there does either. You're a member of Fairy Tail and nothing else matters."

Gray paused, then gave a large smile to the man in front of him. "You're right Laxus… Thank you-"

Before either of the made a move to return to the guild, a quake came from under them, rocking both back and forth. Yet, as fast as it started, it stopped instantly. Laxus sighed, feeling relieved, until he looked over to Gray. The ice wizard was on his knees from the shake, but below him was a black circle with an eye protruding from it. Black, hand like tendrils began to come upward, grabbing at anything on Gray, attempting to get a grip on him. The ice wizard stayed in his position, eyes seemingly glazed over, in some sort of trance like state.

The dragon slayer panicked, running towards the mage, but an invisible force held him back. All he could do was yell. "Gray! Gray! Gray you need to wake up right now! Listen to me!"

Gray twitched, responding to the blonde's urgent tone. His eyes slowly came back into focus, taking in his surroundings. By now one of his shoulders and his calf had broken into particles. His eyes widened in panic as he tried to fight against it, but the movement made to hands tighten as he disappeared faster.

Laxus watched him thrash around, and watched him disappear at an alarming rate. "Gray! Gray, stop moving!" The other registered his voice and froze, looking at the grandson with, wide saucer eyes.

"What's happening to me?" Gray asked in no louder than a whisper. A hand touched his cheek and it disappeared into nothingness. Despite himself, tears slowly formed in the corners of Gray's eyes, fear slowly sinking in.

Laxus slowly glanced around the courtyard, but no one was there, the guild doors weren't open, and he didn't dare to leave his fellow fairy alone. "I have no idea what going on, but you're going to be alright." _I hope he will be alright. I don't know what to do. _

Gray had started to struggle again, but stopped as he noticed his actions were in vain. Most of him was gone, fragments of his body and most of his face remained. "You're a horrible liar Laxus, I hope you know that."

The dragon slayer's eyes went wide as the rest of Gray disappeared into nothingness, leaving Laxus on his knees and a look of horror and utter sadness stuck to his face.

From the infirmary window, a semiconscious Natsu watched the scene unfold.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Thank you everyone for being so patient for this chapter to be finished. I am so sorry i am so slow when it comes to updating chapters but in any case i hope you enjoy it.**_

_**I do not own Fullemtal Alchemist or Fairy Tail.**_

Edward arrived in the void just as he had disappeared from the Colonel's office. He landed with a thump, him opening his eyes and slowly sitting up, to only flop back and down and shut them. _I knew this was going to happen. I just knew. The second I veer off the path of alchemist, some crap is thrown my way and I regret everything. What the hell does Truth want this time?_

He grunted and stood slowly, lifting his eyelids to reveal and white silhouette sitting comfortably in front of him. Truth smiled broadly and the blonde's grimace deepened.

"_I guess you'd like to know why you're here, FullMetal Alchemist."_

Edward grunted, staring God down with a fierceness that he hadn't expressed in a long time.

Truth sat silent, almost to be waiting for something. He did this for a while, and Elric started to growl in irritation just as a sound 'puff' came from behind him. A body lay where he just was moments before, unmoving. Edward could see the man's chest rise, and he almost instinctively ran over to see if he had any injuries. He stood in his place though, looking at Truth tiredly. The white being's grin grew in size. A rustle came, and the blond looked again to see the raven haired man stir. Edward eyed God for a moment, Truth made no objection, and Edward ran over to the man.

Gray's vision went from blackness to utterly white as he opened his eyes painfully. As his gaze came into view, he saw a splash of yellow to the white. The boy's voice filled his ears slowly, the words at first not making sense.

Edward waved a hand waved in from of the wizard's vision. "Hey, are you all right?" There was no response even if the man's eyes were opened. The blond repeated himself. The third time that his hand went across Fullbuster's sight, his eyes followed it. A smirk rose on Edward's lips. "Can you hear me?" FullMetal asked, his voice more relaxed.

Gray tried to answer but his voice refused to cooperate. He nodded slowly in response. With effort that Gray wasn't aware of, the mage tried to pull himself up, but his strength left him. A gloved hand reached around his back, and with the other one firmly placed on his shoulder, Gray was raised into a sitting position slowly.

The blond smiled at the still semi-confused Gray, who was now leaning on Elric for support as he stood up very, very slowly.

Edward chuckled. "You'll feel better in a few minutes. The first trip to the gate is always the worst."

Gray looked around the vacant space, awareness finally coming into his eyes. "Where…am I?" he asked aloud, though his question was directed to Ed.

"This," the blonde gestured, moving his free arm around the room. "Is known as the gate."

"The gate?" Gray questioned, utterly lost in the alchemist's description.

"The gate is a dimension other than the real world. It is a bridge if you think of it. The gate represents all the knowledge there is." Edward pointed to the floating set of doors across the room. They were a dull gray stone, a tree like structure engraved into it. "That is my gate. It has all the information in the world stored inside of it. With a price, you can view it." The alchemist released the wizard, he who which could now stand on his own, and slid his right arm's sleeve up, revealing his automail limb.

"Is that metal?" Gray asked, a profound look on his face, not seeing metal used in such a way.

"Yes, solid steel. This is a price I paid when I got too close to that information. My left leg is just like it." Ed said the dumbfounded look on the ice user's face and laughed. "Hey, what is with that look? I got off easy, my brother lost his whole body, so I have no right to complain." FullMetal's face went dark at the thought, then returned to normal. "Anyways, everyone has a gate. Yours should be behind you…"

The two turned around to see a gate that looked nothing to the previous one. A circular, symmetrical gate stood before them, pristine white, looking like marble. Ornate cylinders of the material swirled in a pattern, looking identical to a snow flake.

"…My magic circle…" Gray muttered quietly, even more lost than before. Edward's mouth hung open in wonder, then his jaw closed as his head snapped back to glare at Truth. The being who had been sitting in his place the entire time smiled broadly, looking utterly amused.

"You can't expect everyone's gate to look the same, can you?" The many voices giggled as though something humorous was said.

"But me and Alphonse's-," Ed tried to say.

"You're brothers, what is there to say?"

Edward looked at him with contempt but relaxed, moving closer to the wizard.

Gray leaned in slightly, so that his mouth closer to Edward's ear, making it easier for the alchemist to hear him without having to speak louder than a whisper. "So what is supposed to happen next?"

The blonde sighed quietly. "Your answer is as good as mine. I have no clue." He answered back.

They both stared at the white silhouette for a long while, though Truth seemed to pay them no mind. After a while more, God stood, almost to be stretching, grinning madly the whole time. He turned towards the two slowly. "A change of pace."

The mage and alchemist listened to the four words, taking a moment to register to them.

"A change of…pace?" Gray was the one who asked the hanging question, looking even more confused from when he arrived at the gate.

"You are both more similar than you might think." Truth started, switching his gaze from between the two. "Believe it or not, you both summoned yourself to the gate of your own free will. I am guessing that you both are seeking the same thing."

"A way out," Gray and Ed said simultaneously, glancing at each other in surprise.

"I…I hurt my best friend. I scared all my friends. They probably think I'm a monster. I can't control my power." Gray said painfully, his nails digging into the shoulder he had been holding onto hard enough to draw blood.

"It was my fault. My fault that the woman was killed. That a child is now an orphan. I caused pain to a complete stranger, and now I can't even stand myself." Edward almost whispered, eyes glued to the ground.

The silence lasted until Truth laughed. "Both of you are in situations that you don't like." He smiled wide. "That is why I am offering you both something. A change of pace."

"What are you suggesting?" Edward snapped, his eyes red.

"You two would switch places, go to each other's world. Live in place of the other."

"What's the catch?" Gray asked slowly, getting the kind of attitude Truth had.

"I require no payment for this. You two both used your own power to get here, so I will just use mine to send you. However, both of you need to get yourselves back to your respective worlds if you find the new one is not your speed. BOTH of you have to want to come back however. If one of you likes the new world better and wants to stay, the other is stuck in that world, even if they don't want it.

Gray and Edward turned to each other.

"I think it is better for us this way." Edward said.

"A change of pace." Gray agreed.

Truth grinned like a fool. "If you agree then get ready to go."

The two smiled at one other, the same thought in their minds, directed at one another. _Good luck. _

Everything turned to black.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Hi everyone! Sorry for taking so long to update. School is back in full swing and is harder than ever, so I only write really late at night or anytime I have open, which is not often. Thank you for all the lovely feedback._**

**_Yingsun: I really liked the different door as well, I thought that a different one from the FMA world would seem more unique._**

**_Arwen Evenstar 241: I will try to write as much as I can. As well, that was the intention._**

**_Maximum Ride12345: This is a long waited thank you for your comment (even if it was on chapter 1). I am really glad it is on your top 20 and I will try to keep it going as long as possible._**

**_As well, a friend of mine says hello to you all._**

**_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST._**

Chapter 4

Laxus looked to the ground where Gray had just vanished from once more, then quickly pulled himself from the ground and ran the rest of the distance to the guild doors. He opened them to see that the guilds interior had been restored from the previous incident.

"Yo, Laxus. Come and relax with us." Bickslow yelled to him from one of the bar seats, Evergreen and Freed by his side. Mirajane smiled from behind the bar, pouring drinks for the Lightning Tribe. She looked to Laxus, immediately noticing the distress on his face.

"Laxus, what's the matter?" She asked, drawing the attention of his team as well as the others sitting at het bar.

"Gray, he…he was, he-," He blabbered on, not his usual cool and composed self. He swallowed, trying to calm down, though it didn't do much. "Gray's gone."

Mirajane gave him a bewildered loo, yet she put everything in her hands down and exited the back area of the bar, rushing to Laxus's side, the Lightning Tribe quickly following suite. He led them outside, pointing at the place where Gray had vanished and frantically explaining the black eye and hands that had appeared below him. Soon most of the guild was outside, listening to the Dragon Slayer as he tried to make them comprehend what he had saw, though none of them seemed to understand.

"Laxus, are you sure that's what happened?" Mirajane asked once he had finished, a look of worry pasted on her face.

"I just saw it happen, how could I not be sure?" Anger and frustration had been starting to set in, and none of the others seemed to notice. Groups of guild members were starting to whisper.

"He's telling the truth. I saw what happened too." The voice came from the front doors of the guild; everyone turned to see who had spoken. Natsu stood awkwardly, leaning on one crutch as he was still weak from before.

"Natsu," Laxus sighed in deep relief as he walked to Natsu, letting het fire user lean heavily against him. The two stared at the spotless concrete where Gray had disappeared, both with worry written all over their faces. The blonde looked sidelong at the others, who nodded in response.

"I think that we should go back inside and get the full run down of what happened from Laxus," Natsu said loud enough the others to hear. Small conversation started between others, most sounding in agreement to Natsu's suggestion. They began walking, or hobbling in Natsu and Laxus's case.

"We need to talk later," Laxus muttered quietly, leaning towards the fire user's ear since Mirajane was still uncomfortably close.

"Agreed." Natsu answered back in a barely audible voice.

The two took another step, but stopped abruptly as a cold, eerie wind blew softly against their backs, hairs standing on end. The dragon slayers' eyes slowly turned to behind them. A black circle had appeared in the place where Gray had disappeared only moments before. The opened slowly, cube like particles forming what seemed to be a body. Laxus turned quickly, his mind focusing on if it were Gray. He had small hopes though, seeing that the form was more than a foot shorter than the Ice Wizard. As soon as the eye had taken form, it vanished, leaving a disgruntled and weary Edward Elric in its wake.

Edward's vision came into focus, blinding him for a moment from the previous white environment. The first thing he noticed were the people. In front of him were about fifty persons, all with their backs turned to him but two. The two directly in front of him stared with confusion and curiosity, but both of their faces spelled appointment. Edward could clearly put two and two together. This was the shirtless man's world, and these were his friends. He wanted them to know that the raven haired guy was well, but as well as he took a step from where the circle had been cast, his mind went fuzzy, legs collapsing from under him. He closed his eyes, prepared to meet hard cement. But instead he landed softly, as if on a cushion. He opened his lids and was confronted by pink blur. He tried to focus his eyes, but his body was no longer obeying commands. He heard words of concern, but they were all muted as if there were cotton in the blonde's ears. He didn't want to black out, but it seemed that he didn't have a choice at this point, so he let the blissful darkness embrace him.

Natsu watched the newcomer carefully. His eyes trailed along the boy's small form, as if to find any trace of Gray on him. He didn't find anything promising, however, noticed a strange expression on the stranger's face. Guilt? He didn't think of it, but his attention snapped to the blonde as he attempted to take a step forward. His eyes went dim and he dropped. Natsu let go of his crutch, though it caused him pain to do so, and dived for the other. He caught him in time enough that his braid barely swept cement. His eyes opened a crack, but they had no attention in them.

"Oi, are you okay?" Natsu stated in a soft, but worried voice. His hand went to the blonde's face, tapping it lightly to see if he could get a reaction. He didn't. Whatever this guy had been through had been rough enough to faint, and it couldn't be good. Natsu had an itching feeling that this small boy had a connection with Gray, and a similarity to him. He wanted to know what it was. He tried to stand, but his legs refused to move. Just as he attempted to stand with the other again, a shadow passed over him, effortlessly lifting the weight from on top of him. As well, one of his arms was pulled upward, and he felt himself standing, though just barely seeing that his legs refused to take any weight.

Laxus let him go momentarily, only long enough to sling the small Ed over his shoulder and walk over to retrieve Natsu's crutch. He came back to the pink haired wizard, extending the assister. He didn't let go however as Natsu tried to pull it to himself. The fire dragon looked at him quizzically, though he could see the storm in the other's eyes.

"I am positive Gray is doing okay." He said, letting his hand go to then place it again on top of Laxus's. The blond looked at him with a hint of dismay.

"_It's my fault that he disappeared." _Laxus's worried thoughts floated into the flame user's mind, his frown deepening.

"It's not your fault, Laxus. This all started because of what I said, and now I can't apologize. Gray will be back. He better be, otherwise I can't say I'm sorry." He gave the blonde's hand a squeeze, then released his grip, pulling the crutch from Laxus's relaxed grip.

The lightning user took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment to compose himself. He then smiled, slowly pulling down Edward from his shoulder, adjusting him so that he laid bridal style in his arms. His face was relaxed for the most part, but his brow was furrowed even in his unconscious state. His breathing was somewhat shallow, but other than that, he seemed to be well.

Natsu looked over him, a mask of concern on his face. "We should have the master take a look at him," he said after a moment of silence. Laxus nodded in agreement. They began to walk, slowly, toward the guild doors.

"How did you move like that anyway?" Makarov's grandson asked suddenly, sending a jolt through Natsu. In all honesty he didn't know how he did it. His body just…moved. Some sort of habit it would seem. The fire dragon laughed awkwardly, leaving a quizzical look on Laxus's face.

**_I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter, I will try and get the next one updated as soon as possible!_**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Hey guys, I am SO SORRY for taking so long to update. School has been so stressful lately and I've recently sick a lot and it is going to get busier, so yay *cue the sarcasm*. But since this has been my most successful fic, I will try to keep it up and updated, so please stay with me._**

Chapter 5

Mustang sat atop his desk, one leg over the other, arms folded, a pondering look plastered to his face. He was in his own world at the moment, occasionally muttering "FullMetal" under his breath. As he thought of the possible outcomes of the situation, Alphonse sat on one of the two sofas in the office. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, metal clanking lightly at every subtle shift.

"Brother," Alphonse said quietly, the word being slightly amplified with his echoed voice. The two had been sitting in silence for a while now, still utterly conflicted about how to approach the predicament they were currently in. Just as Alphonse was about to stand to leave, the lights dimmed. Mustang slowly stood from his perch, looking around his office as if to find anything strange. His eyes found what they were looking for as the black eye appeared in the middle of the room, black particles beginning to form. Mustang and Alphonse's gazes caught each other's, both thinking that their precious person had returned. The body that began to form was tall and lean, a slick mop of black hair adorning his head. Though Gray seemed to be conscious, as soon as the black portal disappeared, his eyes rolled back and he fell forward.

Alphonse stood in disbelief, not completely understanding what had just occurred. Though he was not happy with the outcome, the boy slowly walked forward, bending down as he reached the other's unmoving form. He hesitated however, his armor clanking in response. He had no idea who this man was, and if he was a threat or not. His head turned toward the coronel, who stood solemnly, a stony tinge to his gaze. He nodded slowly and with a quickened pace, made his way to where the boy was kneeling. Mustang reached out a gloved hand, gently pushing on the wizard's shoulder, finding no response. With that, he moved around the body, pulling his hands under the ice mage, and carefully flipping him over.

"What is that?" Alphonse inquired quietly, pointing a metal finger and the fairy tail guild symbol. Mustang shook his head, unknowing. Roy noticed that there were no exterior wounds on the stranger, which was good in a sense, but it still worried the alchemist even further. Where had this boy come from? He had appeared through the gate just like Edward had vanished, but where had he originated from? These thoughts circled through the soldier's mind, his eyes growing weary and glazing over. Just as his focus was slowly lost, Gray rustled.

Gray lay in darkness once more, unknown event occurring without his knowledge. He felt coldness on his back, shivers, going up his spine. Then the temperature spiked in his chest.

His eyes flew open, and in front of them was an armored giant. A mixture of what could have been a shriek or a curse word (it was unaware what it actually was) escaped his lips, and in an uncontrolled reflex, his head bolted up, his forehead connecting with solid steel.

"Fuuuuuuuck!" was what came from his lips. His head came back to the ground a little too quickly, his skull smacking the hard carpeted wood. He yelled profanities as his hand went to both sides of his head, Gray rolling from side to side in agony.

Alphonse looked quizzically at the stranger, a sound resonating from deep within his armor that sounded almost like a confused moan, one he used often with Edward whenever he did something…unintelligent. Roy looked at him with a confused and concerned expression. The Elric Brother looked at him a moderate amusement as Mustang realized what entertained Alphonse's thoughts. The actions of Gray were almost identical to the one's Edward would have done in this situation.

A smirk cracked on the Colonel's face as he lost it in laughter. The alchemist let out a somewhat surprised gasp as the soldier held his stomach. He didn't even understand why he was laughing. But he couldn't stop. Gray looked at him with a bewildered look, scooting his way from underneath Alphonse to on his knees, rubbing his forehead longingly.

As Roy's hysteria died down, he wiped tears from his eyes, looking at the two who gazed at him in awe.

"Sorry," He stated slowly, his tone changing from amused to serious once more. "It's most likely this situation getting to my nerves. I'm alright now…most likely."

Mustang stood, walking a few steps to stand above the wizard, almost looking through him as if he were transparent. Gray felt the urge to cover his center, as if this stranger was able to see something inside him that no one else could, and it made him feel off guard and naked. Within the moment, Roy's gaze turned from stony to soft, a smile coming to his lips. He crouched, meeting the other's gaze, looking into his eyes with a deep gaze, as if trying to pull information from just the look. He sighed.

"You've been through a lot, huh?" He stated finally, rubbing the back of his head absently, a breath releasing from his lips. As he looked at the wizard all he received was a short nod. This was going to take a while, he glanced to Alphonse, who still kneeled in his place, just as lost as the colonel was.

Before the colonel even turned his head, he felt a weight land heavily against him, and he almost jumped in surprise. Alphonse let out what almost sounded like a whine, but it was to be a sound of worry. Mustang, reached around and grabbed the wizard, who lay peacefully unconscious. This was going to be a longer day than Roy had expected.

**_Thank you for all the support and supporting me! _****_:)_**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hi Everyone~! Thank you so much for waiting for my REALLY irregular updates, but I get to them as much as I can and I don't forget about all you amazing people who actually like reading what I write. Thank you for waiting patiently.**_

_**IDO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST**_

_"You need to awaken, young one,"_

_ The voice filled Edward's conscious as he tried to move. His limbs felt as if they weighed like tons, and his chest ached as he attempted to breathe. He wanted to speech, yet no words seemed to come. _What is this? Where am I? _Fuzzy thoughts filled his mind, his focus slowly ebbing away._

_ "You must listen to me. You make others worry by staying in the darkness."_

_ As the words were spoken, he felt hands grab at his limbs, pulling his down deeper into the abyss. The blonde couldn't muster any strength to fight._

_ As he as dragged deeper, a warm, pink light began to glow above him. It seemed welcoming, and he tried to reach toward it. He no longer wanted to be in this unknown place_

_ "Fight it, young Alchemist!"_

It took what seemed all of his effort for Edward to open his eyes. His vision came into focus on a pastel colored ceiling, the color swarming his pupils. A groggy moan came from his lips as he attempted to sit up, but dizziness filled his head. He felt a hard structure against his chest, pushing him back down onto the soft and welcoming mattress he had been laying on. The alchemist turned his head a little too sharply, his vision turning into a jumble of colors to where he thought a person was. He closed his eyes, his head engulfed by a pillow as he tried to make the pain he was experiencing disappear. _This has never happened before when I have tried through the gate before. Damn Truth. I swear he had something to do with this. _

"We had Wendy, our healer, take a look at you, but she said that nothing seemed to be wrong with you." A gentle voice spoke, which surprising relaxed Edward. It reminded him of Alphonse's voice somewhat, the one from his original body that is. "It must have been some trip then for you to be out for sixteen hours, huh?"

"Yeah, it sure was…" he agreed quietly, sighing into the side of his pillow. Wait…What? Sixteen hours? Edward shot up once more, ignoring the pain and dizziness, though he had to grab the edges of the bed he was on to make sure he didn't topple over. His eyes painfully focused at the worried boy in front of him who had instinctively moved when he bolted upward. His striking pink hair was almost too much for the blond to look at, so he focused on his emerald green eyes instead. They were massive and swirled with so much emotion that drove Edward to another wave of dizziness. He fell forward, and of course the other was fully prepared to catch him.

"Up you go," he said in a cheerful voice, lifting his weight onto the bed once more, though he seemed to strain doing it. Ed noticed a crutch next to the bedside, and it wasn't for him.

"Are you injured?" He asked quickly, wanting to get a bit of information out of the other, though he was interested in him.

"A bit, yeah," he sighed, rubbing his head sheepishly. "It's just something that happened earlier, nothing to worry about." He looked down at his lap with a sad look in his eyes, but it slowly disappeared as his mood changed in a second. "So what's your name? Why did you appear out of nowhere? Where are you from? Do you know where Gray-,"

He was about to bombard the blonde with even more when he was stopped by another voice. "Natsu. Wendy wishes to see you in the other room."

Both of them looked to the door where a short, older man stood, his stature as strong as could be. Edward felt shivers down his spine. _His voice sounds…so familiar. _Natsu immediately stood, and almost fell, and quickly wobbled out of the room.

Edward's eyes followed him as he made his way to the seat that the Dragon Slayer once occupied. Once he sat down, he breathed a heavy sigh, giving the young boy a weary look before fully relaxing in his chair.

"You caused quite a stir coming through that portal, you know." He said almost casually, like this was a normal conversation he would have over coffee. "It nearly scared the living day out of our guild members, not to mention one of our own disappeared in the process."

Edward's thoughts swirled at the information. Disappearing person? That must have been the other that was in the gate. The shirtless man. He remembered the name Gray coming from the pinked haired boy's lips.

The man's expression suddenly changed from somewhat aloof to serious. "We don't take lightly when our family is taken. If Gray is put into any sort of danger, I hope you know that you will be the first to pay, Young Alchemist."

His head suddenly ached as the voice became clear. The voice that had dominated his mind. The voice that had pulled him from the everlasting darkness. He held his head in his hands, white light burning behind his eyes as he felt a hand softly rub his shoulder. As the pain turned into a dull throb, he slowly breathed in, calming his thoughts.

"Your…Gray is in good hands. I promise. I personally can account for the people he has been left with, and they will take good care of him. You have my word."

At that moment, the old man's grim stature turned into a bright smile. "Is that so? Well, that is good to hear. You seem like an honest boy, and Natsu seems to have taken a liking to you, and he doesn't do that often." He jumped off the stool, walking across the room to the doorway. "I forgot to introduce myself. "My name is Makarov Dreyar and I am the current master the guild Fairy Tail, which you are currently staying in. When you are feeling up to it, you can come get a hot meal." With that he left the room, leaving Edward to his thoughts.

_**I hope you enjoyed this. I get the next chapter written as soon as possible, but finals are coming up and a lot of events so I'll do it in any of my free time. As well, I'm resurrecting my fic The Unknown, so if any of you follow that as well, then you can wait for that as well.**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hi friends!~ Sorry that it takes me so long to update, but I'm always on a strange schedule and I just try to fit in writing wherever I can. Hopefully you like this chapter even though it's short.**_

_**I do not own FMA of Fairy Tail.**_

Gray awoke with a groggy mind and with a very warm body.

He opened his eyes slowly, light pouring in from windows unfamiliar to him and his body resting on a couch that he did not know. He was tightly wrapped in a thick blanket, which must have been placed on top of him while he was there, and his head rested on a soft pillow.

He smirked to himself, happy in a way. The people he had seen before must have taken his cold body temperature as something needing to be warmed, and he found it comforting in a way (though at present time he felt as though he was suffocating).

He attempted to lift his body off the furniture he was resting on but he was stopped by a wave of dizziness engulfing his being, bringing him back down on the couch once more.

"Stay there as long as you need." A voice rang out softly from somewhere he couldn't see. His eyes gleamed around his surroundings to notice that he was in the same room he had arrived in. It must have been an office of some sort. And the person who it belonged to was peacefully working on papers while he slept.

As much as he wanted to act like his rival and fight everything, he decided that treating his body first might be best, especially in such a foreign place. He dug himself deeper into the comforter-like blanket, as smothering as it was, and dozed off once more, his dreams empty and unwelcoming.

In his subconscious his ears registers a small clashing sound, one metal makes when it hits one another. He wearily awoke to find the man in the suit once more inches from him. He was surprised yet again, but this time, he had no energy to react. He felt drained, and the sofa was slowly wrapping him in its clutches, and he had no will to fight back. It must have been the exhaustion from his fight with Natsu, as well as the shock and stress of the whole situation occurring, setting into his body. It was trying to recover while he was trying to function.

"I'm sorry," came a surprisingly high pitched voice from the armor, Alphonse backing away slowly from Gray in an attempt to show that he wasn't trying to scare of harm him.

"It's alright." Gray muttered almost inaudibly, closing his eyes once more, his body going limp. He felt so weak and helpless right now, and he didn't like it. He didn't know these people, yet they were acting so kind to him, though one of their own was missing. A soft smile crept onto his lips. _It's just like what they would do in Fairy Tail, huh. _

He floated in a semiconscious fog, his mind not being able to focus at anything, but his ears caught things of outside conversations.

Alphonse saw Gray supposedly lose consciousness once more and hurried over to Mustang's side, worry in his voice.

"Is there something wrong with him? He won't say awake and he is acting strange."

Mustang didn't look up for his work, though his stopped writing for a moment to think. "I have no idea Alphonse. Edward never seemed to react this way to the gate, and neither did anyone else. It may be from something else. We will just have to wait and see. His life doesn't seem to be in danger, so you can calm down about that."

The younger boy didn't seem to be convinced at all as he stared at the Colonel for a moment more, then went to the opposite facing couch, sitting heavily in it and stayed there, watching Gray in his unnatural slumber.

Gray was unaware how long he had been unconscious, but his body had sure had. He opened his eyes slowly, the ceiling the same one he had met his vision to previously. It was dark and quiet. He lifted the blanket from is limbs and slowly stood, his being feeling light and…amazing in all honesty. He smiled to himself, stretching his arms above his head and releasing a yawn from sleep.

The man he had met before, the colonel, was at his desk still. This time though, he was asleep in the palm of his hand, soft snores coming from his throat. The other, the metal man, still sat on the coach, looking directly at him. The wizard almost jumped in surprise, but made sure not to make a sound, not wanting the alchemist to awake. He stared back at Alphonse, slowly stepping closer. No response. His shoulders relaxed some, realization hitting him slowly that the person in the suit must have fallen asleep as well, though he didn't understand how with all that weight on his shoulders.

Making no noise, the ice mage stepped around the table, going to the door and lightly wrapping his fingers around the handle. He glanced back at the other two, wanting to thank them for their kindness, but not wanting to wake them. Bowing slightly, he silently opened the door, exiting and making his way into the darkness.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Okay, so I seriously owe all of you an apology, since I have actually had this chapter completed since the beginning of October and I had completely forgotten about it, which was really bad on my part. Life has been chaotic, but I refuse to abandon this fic, since it has gotten me to love my writing again and all your encouragement means so much to me. Thank you for sticking in there and enjoying my story.**_

**CopperN13: ****_Thank you for the tip about Alphonse, however it was from Gray's perspective and observation that "the person in the suit must have fallen asleep". Which I didn't realize I wrote that way, so good eye, but now since it has been pointed out, I'm going to be using it to my advantage, so keep a look out on that :)._**

**_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE FAIRY TAIL OR FMA FANDOM_**

It had been nearly thirty minutes since the man named Makarov had left Edward to his lonesome, and the blonde had yet to make a move toward the door for the meal that had been promised beyond. He had no eagerness to be bombarded for who knew the number of people that could be out there awaiting his entrance. His stomach churned at the thought. This wasn't like him in the least, he was never one to get nervous for crowds or large groups of strangers, at least not until he was put into one that he utterly had no knowledge of.

He sighed to himself, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration. What was he supposed to do when he had no knowledge?

Find it for himself.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he gathered his thoughts, recalling the previous conversation that he had with the elderly man. After a minute or so, he opened his eyes, slowly swinging his legs to the side of the mattress and moved his weight to his feet and onto the ground. He was still significantly dizzy and in pain, but he pushed past it.

"Okay where to start…" He said this to himself, looking around the small room with bright golden eyes. He noticed the instant he stepped out from under the bed's covers that a significant amount of his clothing had been removed. A light shiver went up his spine and he made it his first objective to obtain his missing articles.

"Currently I am in a place named…Fairy Tail, if I recall correctly. And it is also a guild, which I don't know what that represents, but it most likely means that there are quite a few members." He breathed heavily, hoping that quite a few of those people had left by whatever time it was currently.

He found that searching the room for a few moments turned up fruitful, seeing that the rest of his clothing had been neatly put beside where he previous lay, freshly cleaned and crisp to the touch.

He smiled lightly at the care that had been put in to him as he continued. "As for people so far, there is… Makarov Dreyar…" He rolled the name around, still finding its pronunciation quite strange altogether. Actually, quite a few things in this world seemed out of place to his mind: the names, the clothing, the…hair color. He shook it off for a moment to move on with his assessment. "This man said he was the master of this guild, and did seem to telling the truth with how much respect the other people I saw showed him. Does that mean he is of a colonel's rank and power, or maybe a general? He couldn't possibly be at the Fuhrer's rank, could he? I don't know if there are any more of these guilds, but that means I'll just need to find more information."

He began to pull on his trousers, enjoying the stiffness against his legs. He tucked his undershirt into the waistband, slipping his belt through the bands and tightening it to his satisfaction. He looked at the other articles that he had previously worn; as much as he didn't want to be questioned about himself, it was easier to say a few false truths about his artificial arm than it was the symbol on his jacket. With one more touch, he released his hair from its braid, which had gotten quite unruly through his time unconscious, and put it in a simple ponytail instead.

"Other people include Natsu… the pink haired man who is quite a mystery to me still. I am interested to find out more information about him, especially since I find that he will be a willing source. There is also this Wendy person, who was mentioned to be a healer, which makes me wonder what kind of alchemy or alkahestry she may use. The last is the blonde that I saw right as I arrived from the gate. He is an unknown person."

He breathed out, that being everything that he knew at the moment. He was as prepared as he could as he could be in this sort of situation, at least in his mind he was.

With a lighter feeling in his chest than when he woke, Edward, threw on his combat boots, stretching himself lightly. With a satisfied smirk on his lips, he faced the exit, striding forward into the guild with the confidence of the Fuhrer himself.

_**So writing this chapter had it's own set of difficulties, many of which led to the use of the internet. Sadly it had been a while since I have been fully emerged into the FMA fandom, which led to many facts that were incorrect. (Okay, maybe I couldn't spell Alkahestry and I didn't remember the military ranks.) Either way, the end result made me happy and I hope everyone enjoyed it.**_


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